Amsal 4:20

4:20 My child, pay attention to my words;

listen attentively ¹  to my sayings.

Amsal 5:1

Admonition to Avoid Seduction to Evil ² 

5:1 My child, ³  be attentive to my wisdom,

pay close attention ⁴  to my understanding,

Amsal 5:7

5:7 So now, children, ⁵  listen to me;

do not turn aside from the words I speak. ⁶ 

Amsal 8:7

8:7 For my mouth ⁷  speaks truth, ⁸ 

and my lips ⁹  hate wickedness. ¹⁰ 

[4:20]  ¹ tn Heb “incline your ear.” The verb הַט (hat) is the Hiphil imperative from נָטָה (natah, Hiphil: “to turn to; to incline”). The idiom “to incline the ear” gives the picture of “lean over and listen closely.”

[4:20]  sn Commentators note the use of the body in this section: ear (v. 20), eyes (v. 21), flesh (v. 22), heart (v. 23), lips (v. 24), eyes (v. 25), feet (v. 26), and hands and feet (v. 27). Each is a synecdoche of part representing the whole; the total accumulation signifies the complete person in the process.

[5:1]  ² sn In this chapter the sage/father exhorts discretion (1, 2) then explains how to avoid seduction (3-6); this is followed by a second exhortation to prevention (7, 8) and an explanation that obedience will avoid ruin and regret (9-14); finally, he warns against sharing love with strangers (15-17) but to find it at home (18-23). For an analysis of the chapter, see J. E. Goldingay, “Proverbs V and IX,” RB 84 (1977): 80-93.

[5:1]  ³ tn The text again has “my son.” In this passage perhaps “son” would be the most fitting because of the warning against going to the adulterous woman. However, since the image of the adulterous woman probably represents all kinds of folly (through personification), and since even in this particular folly the temptation works both ways, the general address to either young men or women should be retained. The text was certainly not intended to convey that only women could seduce men.

[5:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “incline your ear” (so NAB, NRSV); NLT “listen carefully.”

[5:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “sons.”

[5:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “the words of my mouth” (so KJV, NAB, NRSV).

[8:7]  ⁷ tn Heb “roof of the mouth.” This expression is a metonymy of cause for the activity of speaking.

[8:7]  ⁸ tn The word “truth” (אֱמֶת, ’emet) is derived from the verbal root אָמַן (’aman) which means “to support.” There are a number of derived nouns that have the sense of reliability: “pillars,” “master craftsman,” “nurse,” “guardian.” Modifiers related to this group of words includes things like “faithful,” “surely,” “truly” (amen). In the derived stems the verb develops various nuances: The Niphal has the meanings of “reliable, faithful, sure, steadfast,” and the Hiphil has the meaning “believe” (i.e., consider something dependable). The noun “truth” means what is reliable or dependable, firm or sure.

[8:7]  ⁹ sn Wise lips detest wickedness; wisdom hates speaking wicked things. In fact, speaking truth results in part from detesting wickedness.

[8:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “wickedness is an abomination to my lips” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).